High pressure grease fitting



April 26, 1932. JyF. MaclNDoE HIGH PRESSURE GREASE FITTING Original Filed July 7. 1927 INVENTOR ATTORNEY I, M m

Patented Apr. 26, 1932 V11151171111)- ,s'r'ATi-:s PATENT Y :JOHN FRANKLINV'MACINDOE, or PHILADELPHIA, rENlvsirmralvmv :non PRESSURE GREASE"mirarmev The present invention relates tolubricating devices, and more particularly to an automatic lubrication supply fitting. i f

AIn fittings for supplying lubrication under 1j 'g5 `pressure to ,bearings itis more or less common practice at the present time to permanently -attach check valve type ofnipples tobearings whereby a pressure grease gun can be quickly attached to the nipple and inject a shot of fr grease to the bearing to maintain it in running condition for some period of operation. This supply of grease is delivered under pressure when theshat or other moving `part is at rest initsbearing,-. and it has been found'that *.15 approximately one-third of the bearing, generally known as the cdead spot, does not receive any lubrication because the weight-sup- Vr.porting portion of the bearingdoes not give any clearance 'for the admission of thegrease-l Y Some of the objects ofthe present invention are to overcome the oregoingdisadvantages Y and'provide complete lubricationto allparts .of the bearing; to provide a lubrication sup-`v ply ittingwhich functions yautomatically to supply a charge'of grease after `the shaftor other partis in motion; to provide a'tting which ensures the so called dead spotfgof a bearingbeing supplied with lubricant toprovide a fitting by which the-lubricant is supplied in `quantitylXproportioned to theeXpellingk pressure; to provide a vbearing,fitting whereby after a shot of lubricant has been introduced into the bearing there will be anv automatic additional. film of ygreasedis- A charged to compensate for that whichidelpletes the original shot after the movablepart is in motion; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear. i 7; In the accompanying drawings Fig. f1 'rep- ,,1 0 resents a sectional 4elevation of ay lubricant tting embodying one form .ofthepresent in'- vention; Fig. 2 represents a similar vsection of a modied form ofthe invention; andgFigeS represents a rlike zsection showingA still an- '4 5 other form of theinvention.

. Referring to the drawings, oneform ofthe present invention consists .offa, .fitting k10 Y .formed asa tubular head llliaving two oppositely vdisposed extensions 12 rand 13. The

fo .head 11 formsza chamber .14 which isinaeom-` a bearing or fothervpartto which the'lubricantl Application mea July?, `1927, serial 110.204,093.Y Renewed February 26,4931.

munication with aninletpassagel in the ex.-

tension v12f and with an outlet passage 16 in the extension 13.l 4The end ofthe extension l2 is the inletjlS.` Theseating ,face of the'valvle disc20'is formed by composition washer 22 n and this isA normally held seated against the inneiywall ofthe end 17 by a coilspring '23V interpos'edbetween the d isc 20 and a spider 24 `which seatsagainst a projecting abutment-,215

on theextension,12.v This spider24, yin v`addition to holding the spring 23underlcomprefssion, serves as aguide for the rearendof `the stem 2l. The extension 12isarrangedltore-k ceive the conneetingffittingof afgreas'e gun' or otherlubricant supply source,r and inorder 7 tosecu'reftliis part to the extension `12 the latter 1s provided witha .bead orcatch 26 .orcoop- :'15

erationwithapart of the fitting; i' Theextension 13V ywhich `forms, thedischar-ge `passage 16 isfpreferably eXteriorly threaded, Las shownat 27, for permanent threaded engagement with is to bersuppjlied,V

'For the purpose ofsupplying an auxiliary `film of 'oilto theibearinga'fter thezpressure gun or other lubricant supply meanshasbeen detached, the chamber 14 receives a lhollow 85 plunger 28 which 4is mounted for sliding movement infanopen'ingBO inthe end. ofthe `head'f11,zandthe closed? end of the plunger V28 passesnthrough *the* opening 30 while the op- 90 posite or open; end hascommunication with ^the chamber 14. This openend of thefplung- Ver.28 seats a grease control rnozzlelwvhich "has rlffauxilarypeniiig 32 fOrfthfpaSS-se f of greaseft'o and from ythe interiorxof the 945 i plunger 12,8. Also this end of theplung'eris provided V[with a laterally, disposed circumi ferentialfange gforming aseatforfonelend of a-,coil spring 34,-the otherlendfof which` is i seatedfagainstapackingsring lv3,5atfthe,end of flmthe head l1 and sealing the sliding joint of the opening 30.

Y In order to regulate and proportion the discharge of grease from the hollow movable plunger-28 a grease displacement member 36 is provided Vwhich is fixedly attached to the fitting l0 in axial alignment with the nozzle opening '32 so that as the plunger 28'1noves in one direction the displacement member projects through the opening 32 and while moving ,in thevopposite'directi'on the displacement member is telescoped Within thel plunger. v It should be noted thattthe` end of the displacement' member contained Within the plunger 2.8 is of uniform diameter for a dis- "tance'indicated by Xand then tapers with Vdiminishing diameter to a point outside' of the plunger 28,y and hence the-movement of Athe. plunger upon a discharging stroke forces thexsame amountof Ylubricant through the opening 32 for a certain length of its stroke,

i 'f and thereafter, when the tapered portionof VK4o K reduces the resistanceito compensate for the weakening of vthe spring through the remainits the inwardmovement of the as will be understood.

the displacement member comes into action,

there is a gradual increase in the amount of lubricant discharged from the plunger 28;

-It will thus be evident that the displacement `member 36 has its end of larger diameter projecting into the plunger28 while the tapered portion converges to its smallest diameterV "exterior of the plunger 28. WVhil'e the member36has beendescrlbed as a displacement member it in effect is a control or compensating member having a distinct relation to the action ofthe spring 34in that the decreased areavencircling the large end of themember 36 'serves to retard the descent ofthe plunger Y k28 during the strongest part of the spring expansion. When the spring has weakened an appreciable amountfthe taperedk portion of the member Y36 beginsits control action' and ing portion yofthe stroke. rlhe uniform dis- -charge portion is approximately one-fourth 1 ofthe stroke of theplunger-28, since it has been found that .there is substantially no variation inthe pressureof-'the spring vduring lthis initial portion-of the stroke, but thereafter, as the spring` weakens, the tapering portion of the displacement member compensates for the weakening of the spring and -.a1lows a proportionate amount of lubricant I to be discharged from the opening 32 into the passagel.`v In' this instance the. displacement member has an endstem 37, which limplunger 28,

Y In the form ofthe invention shown infFig.

v- 2, the extension part 12 is interiorly threaded,

as shown'at 40, to receive 'any type of connecting nipple 4l instead of the built-in type offcheck valve, and thel general operation and function isgthe same; Inithis "formzalso'rthe Y. displacement member 36 has no extension to act Vas a limitfstoptfor the plunger, and in `through which grease is forced tothe bearing. Inthis instance the hollow plunger 28 vserves to; forceV the lubricant ito the discharge outlet 44 without the interposition of any ber 36 shown in'lthe other iigures. v A

Generally considered, the operation ofthe several forms of the invention isfthe same, the specific difference being that in some cases regulation takes place in proportion to operating pressure as distinguished from a continuous feed without such regulation.

-With a pressure filling' gun or other supply medium attached to the inletk end of the fitting, grease is introduced into'the body of the fitting causing the plunger 28 to be filled with grease andforced outward to its full indicating position. This-filling action also causes grease to be discharged to the lbearing to forman initial film'in the ,clearance not 'in the area of the dead part. The gun or other supplying device is then removed and-the lfitting is ready to carry out its function of, continuous supply to thebearing as needed by running conditions. The first effect of the movement of the moving part in the'bearing is to cause a clearance space where the dead spot existed and instead of robbing the p lmof lubricant alread inthebearing this space is automatically lled by the pressure Vactioniof the spring 34fupon the piston 28.

The result is an additional'film of 'lubricant is automatically supplied to the bearing'at the moment it is needed and this-fas well as the initial film, are ythereafterY maintained constant during the 'movement offt'hepart in bearing. In the proportionate regulation type of fitting a fixed outlet area isvheld for the required part of thestroke ,to absorb the excess spring pressure at the first part of the plunger stroke, and thereafter a proportioning of the supply takes.y place with respect to theweakening of the spring.

1 What I claim as new anduseful is: Y

LA lubricant fitting comprising a part ,arranged to be connected to a bearing and providing alubricant passage having an inlet and an outlet,vl a checkvalvelocated. to control said inlet, means including, a vspring pressed plunger for automatically ydischarging lubricant vfrom said'passage outlet when said checkr valve is. closed, and a vcontrol vmemberflxed to said part having an end ofl uniform diameter' projecting into vsaid control means such as the displacement mem- Yiso plunger and a tapered end passing through its outlet whereby the spring pressure on said plunger is automatically compensated throughout the movement of said plunger.

2. A lubricant tting comprising a tubular head having two lateral extensions forming a through passage for lubricant in communication with the interior of said head, one of said extensions having an inlet and the other having an outlet, a check valve for controlling said inlet, said head having its closed end substantially parallel with said passage and provided with an opening, a tubular plunger slidably mounted in said opening and having its outer end closed and its inner end provided with an opening forming a communication between the interior of said plunger and said passage, a spring encircling said plunger and normally forcing said plunger toward said passage, a tapered control member passing through said plunger opening and terminating in a head of enlarged uniform diameter, and means to provide a clearance space between the inner end of said plunger and the wall of said passage in the innermost position of said plunger to provide for the admission of lubricant under pressure from said passage to the interior of said plunger whereby said spring is placed.

under compression to force lubricant through said outlet when said check valve is closed.

3. A lubricant fitting comprising a tubular head and two laterally disposed extensions forming a lubricant passagethrough said fitting and communicating with-said head, one of said extensions having an inlet and the other having an outlet, a spring pressed i plunger slidable through the end of said head and normally projected in a direction transversely of said passage, said plunger having an outer closed end and an inner end provided with an opening to establish communif of July, 1927.

JOHN FRANKLIN MACINDOE. 

